gent's cut
very orange.
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very orange.
talking the talk but not deliverying
on closer inspection, there are no special offers. in fact this was outside a shop which was selling special offer signs (at full price)
no hats no boots no job
this would make a good begging sign. worth remembering for the future perhaps.
exclusive ladies
reminds me of that classic lyric "you're so exclusive you don't exist". the next line is good too.
wall-e rubbish
i was quite pleased with this photo opportunity as it shows i'm vaguely in touch with the modern world.
there's a film in the flicks at the moment called wall-e which is about some robot that cleans up all the rubbish left behind on planet earth.
it's such a mess that everyone has left to go an live somewhere else.
so i was delighted to see this giant pile of genuine oxford street rubbish outside the flagship disney store on oxford street.
so there you go. finally something culturally relevant. i thank you.
where the diversion ends
do you ever wonder where diversions end ?
the lucky dip cigarette game
simply grab a butt-end and see if it's a full cigarette or just the butt.
it's the ideal game for school fetes and church garden parties !
photographer with label
photographers often get mislaid, so it's best to label them. clipping a label to their ear seems to work best
further reductions due to public demand
further reductions due to public demand. blummin public. always wanting stuff cheaper. perhaps it's no surprise this shop eventually shut down if it was just listening to its customers asking for stuff more cheaper without any regard for its own costs.
hassock of the week
it's a bishop's bonnet !
where bolly
there's a bollard hidden in the picture above. can you see it ?
here's a shot from a slightly different angle (with me in it). can you see it yet ?
(warning - spoiler)
paintin unit
right next to the decoratin unit.
action intercepted
this was a parked car with a bit of a noddy photoshop working for interest. not sure if it entirely works. i probably won't try and recreate an actual version of it whizzing along the street. unless i'm down a manhole
overdue
i took this photo at the end of the June but only just spotted it in the pending pile. even so, if you've got a sign up at the end of june saying you hope the work would have finished 3 months ago then people aren't going to be too impressed.
flattened by praise!
sometimes even the best things in life can get on top of you.
that morning
i walked past this yesterday morning and saw it on the telly when i got to my destination. toyah was wandering about chatting to the cooks with the other main presenters. probably not worth missing my meeting for, but vaguely interesting neverthelessormore
a very fancy tv aerial
or is she a dodgem ?
two way
two way. with arrows. just in case you didn't get it.
chaos in a shop window
what is going on here ?
the bollard hotel
there's some great writing on this bollard
please always keep clear here
the answer to your question is below the bottom red line
urban camouflage
if you're lost, just try and blend in. find a wall the same colour as your jumper and you're sorted.
musicians
musicians with round instruments
oxford street temporary signage
amongst all these roving signs on sticks (whose days are numbered i think) is a men at work sign. which is very apt
elton's olympic message
my good friend elton sent me a link to a video he's posted on youtube.
i thought i'd share it with you as even if you're not an athelete you can make the sign whilst sitting and watching it on the telly box.
i thought i'd share it with you as even if you're not an athelete you can make the sign whilst sitting and watching it on the telly box.
church reformed. cancelled
i could make some comment on the current debate within the anglican communion right now. but i won't.
buildings that look like they should be from the future
this is a building by my office. it looks like what you'd hope buildings would look like now in the future when we were back in the past.
the tragic story of the teeny weeny baby hedgehog
this looked like a heartening scene. the teeny weeny baby hedgehog had found its mum.
but sadly it wasn't. click on the title above to see the full, sad, story.
but sadly it wasn't. click on the title above to see the full, sad, story.
Continue reading "the tragic story of the teeny weeny baby hedgehog" »
strickly no bills
good use of selective underlining and a classic _______ ! ______
the answer to life, the universe and bollards
yves sent me this intriguing picture of two belgian bollards. he writes "I spotted a contraption involving bollards and a hand-drying paper box, painted with a number."
very mysterious. perhaps it's a bollard weighing station ? or are they worshipping on a numerical altar ?
thanks for your quandary yves !
hassock of the week
aircon hassock
a teeny baby hedgehog
after the sparrow hawk visit of last weekend, we've now got a teeny baby hedgehog whizzing aimlessly around our garden eating the lawn
he's only about the size of a hamster. and seems to have his eyes closed.
he's very quick, but spent a lot of time going round in circles so i carefully moved him to a safer place in the undergrowth.
but an hour or so later he was back near where we started. and a cat was sniffing round the place. so hopefully he'll make it !
funkyphoto - big ben bonanza
my first geocache will say something like this:
It's fairly easy to come to london and take the standard tourist photo of london landmarks like the one above of Big Ben. This cache is to help you get a slightly more unusual picture you can be really proud of.
The coordinates are for The Clock Tower itself (Big Ben is the bell inside the tower). You won't need to go anywhere you shouldn't and you probably won't need your satnav ! Nearest tube station is Westminster (which itself is a fantastic site if you arrive by the Jubilee Line).
You need to work out where to stand to get the photo shown below. To claim the cache you need to take and upload a photo to prove you found the right spot.
You'll get the best results if you take your photo in the afternoon as the sun moves round to illuminate the tower from the right direction. And if you're lucky enough to have a really nice day, get there just before sunset to watch the houses of parliament glow a glorious yellow !
Photoing tips - always take a few shots so you can chose the best one, why not include some people in the foreground to give it some scale ? if you've got an SLR camera, use a small aperture to get Big Ben and the foreground nice and sharp. Landscape mode will probably do the same on a compact camera.
Most of all, enjoy taking photos, and always look for something a little different !
spoiler:
looking the wrong way !
update: but it appears the rules of geocaching might not actually allow this type of geocache, so never mind. still, you might find it useful. or something
It's fairly easy to come to london and take the standard tourist photo of london landmarks like the one above of Big Ben. This cache is to help you get a slightly more unusual picture you can be really proud of.
The coordinates are for The Clock Tower itself (Big Ben is the bell inside the tower). You won't need to go anywhere you shouldn't and you probably won't need your satnav ! Nearest tube station is Westminster (which itself is a fantastic site if you arrive by the Jubilee Line).
You need to work out where to stand to get the photo shown below. To claim the cache you need to take and upload a photo to prove you found the right spot.
You'll get the best results if you take your photo in the afternoon as the sun moves round to illuminate the tower from the right direction. And if you're lucky enough to have a really nice day, get there just before sunset to watch the houses of parliament glow a glorious yellow !
Photoing tips - always take a few shots so you can chose the best one, why not include some people in the foreground to give it some scale ? if you've got an SLR camera, use a small aperture to get Big Ben and the foreground nice and sharp. Landscape mode will probably do the same on a compact camera.
Most of all, enjoy taking photos, and always look for something a little different !
spoiler:
looking the wrong way !
update: but it appears the rules of geocaching might not actually allow this type of geocache, so never mind. still, you might find it useful. or something
big ben
big ben contained within
various vegetables
"various vegetables". blast from the past, sent me googling for obscure uni bands from my sheffield days.
classic british picnic
picnicking in a carpark
you must be afraid
my advice is never to take advice from the door of a street cabinet.
1243
clockwise numbering
caution wet floor
the floor is downwards. in case you weren't aware.
don't feed things
bird poop on this sign is a nice touch.
pimms in thames
you can tell it's party season
some animals
here are some animal from a zoo we went to back in january. just found them in my pending pile.
fully air conditioned
there should be more outside tiles that look like bad wall paper in london town.
in my opinion
secret message
this was on an door in the street. what's it all about do you think ? best suggestion wins global respect.
london sky
in just a few minutes london can go from a clear blue sky to a cloudy grey/white sky. admittedly these photos were taken a few hours apart, but you get what i mean.
closed for refurbishment
a great sign which shows why the refurbishment is needed
the bird in our garden
this bird of prey popped in to our garden when we were having tea last night. it then dived in to our neighbour's garden.
we have a lot of nature round our way. in the last few days, from our garden you've been able to see a passing hedgehog, half a dozen red kites and now a hawk (?).
there was a moth on the lawn the other day too.
a handy power socket
the trouble with urban wireless as any nomadic worker can tell you is the lack of power sockets in suitably equipped cafes, making them unsuitable. here's a solution.
shoe
every found object has a story, and that's why i like them.
as it's sunday i should also recommend this (click on the jukebox to listen to it). it's from our church service last sunday, and is worth listening to for the story at the beginning.
it also makes the point that God cares about the little things in life which is great inspiration for all you lovers of the mundane !
not a red heron
well done to mr exile who scores a direct hit. it's a grey heron in hyde park.
esther's birthday party
esther had a cooking party to celebrate her birthday. due to numbers it's turned in to a weekend festival with a party yesterday and another one today.
they cooked pizza shaped like cats (of course) and cookies and truffles
and jane mad a magnificent fishy cake (don't tell the cats)
thank you kindly
i often end my emails with 'thank you kindly'. nice to see it on a sign too.
iJunkies
the long long queues for the new iPhone on oxford street yesterday morning
one nation under CCTV
a Banksy which appeared recently in Newman Street, london
transports
bikes and bikes and buses and trains
guess the thing
i think this is probably fairly easy. guess the thing !
where does safety start ?
safety starts here. by the runner beans at the end of the allotments
stuck truck
this truck was stuck as the skippy thing at the back couldn't roll up the kerb stone. i watched for a while then went on my way.
the 30 pence to spend a penny shocker
i don't mind paying my way, although i'd rather not have to pay 20 pence to have a tinkle in paddington station. however, my need was great, and my walk had been long so i decimated i was prepared to part with 20 pence as well as some liquid (apologies if your eating)
anyway, i popped my 20 pence piece in the barrier slot and it didn't open. bit of a shock actually as i was expecting it to open and walked in to it. the chap above then appeared and told me the price had gone up to 30 pence.
i decided that was too much for a wee, so pressed the reject button, but my coin wasn't returned. i told the chap i wasn't prepared to pay 30 pence and i wanted my 20 pence back as a matter of principle. he said the machine wouldn't give it back !
so we had a little stand-off with me saying "i'd like my 20 pence back please" and him saying "it's 30 pence now, and you can't have it back sorry". so i asked if i could take his photo to celebrate the difficult predicament we were in. he kindly agreed, and gave me a smile, then we went back to politely arguing.
anyway, another customer came along and he let us both in for an additional 10 pence as consolation for the price going up and the lack of refunds. that was kind of him, and i think was a special offer for the first day of the new pricing structure.
on the way out i saw the sign informing customers of the increased price. the problem was it was too bright which resulted in urban eyes failing to spot it.
so there we are. the story of my trip to the toilet on monday evening. it doesn't get better than this (and for that i can only apologise).
it's not like anyone reads the words here anyway !
anyway, i popped my 20 pence piece in the barrier slot and it didn't open. bit of a shock actually as i was expecting it to open and walked in to it. the chap above then appeared and told me the price had gone up to 30 pence.
i decided that was too much for a wee, so pressed the reject button, but my coin wasn't returned. i told the chap i wasn't prepared to pay 30 pence and i wanted my 20 pence back as a matter of principle. he said the machine wouldn't give it back !
so we had a little stand-off with me saying "i'd like my 20 pence back please" and him saying "it's 30 pence now, and you can't have it back sorry". so i asked if i could take his photo to celebrate the difficult predicament we were in. he kindly agreed, and gave me a smile, then we went back to politely arguing.
anyway, another customer came along and he let us both in for an additional 10 pence as consolation for the price going up and the lack of refunds. that was kind of him, and i think was a special offer for the first day of the new pricing structure.
on the way out i saw the sign informing customers of the increased price. the problem was it was too bright which resulted in urban eyes failing to spot it.
so there we are. the story of my trip to the toilet on monday evening. it doesn't get better than this (and for that i can only apologise).
it's not like anyone reads the words here anyway !
the actual of the tribute
i got a message via my flickr account that someone had posted a funkypancake tribute picture. it's here if you want to see it.
imagine my surprise when i opened it and found it was of the same sign i'd taken a picture of on monday morning, and was sitting on my pending upload folder. so here it is. i prefer kjpm's photo actually, which i think must have been taken at a different entrance to the park as it's got a nice fence behind it.
i like to think of a future world where people are crawling around on the floor taking photos of nonsense and getting in each others way in the nicest possible way. could you imagine how cool that would be. thanks kjpm !
the curry boys
i'm sure these signs never used to give the reason. or perhaps i've only just spotted they do. anyway, this is ideal if you want to see the curry boys being filmed. whatever that is. (i think it's unrelated to the advert being filmed a few streets away). there was also some filming trucks and food place next to the Royal Albert Hall yesterday. no idea if it's related. sorry for my lack of knowledge. i do my best, but you know. sometimes. it's just not good enough.
half a taxi
this was in the place where they were doing the advert earlier in the day (when i walked by on the way to my meeting). i guess it makes sense to have half a taxi on a truck to do filming of in-taxi scenes.
once more the magic of TV is destroyed by seeing behind the scenes. sorry about that.
advert
london is great for seeing thing like this - apparently they were filming some sort of beauty cream advert.
i watched for about 2 minutes then moved on.
cleaning the fuzz away
cop car being taken to the cleaners
intertwined
this is a bit of a mystery. it's a black wheel chair and a strange yellow one all a bit mixed up. kezia was confused
we have the technology
i put a new door bell button up on saturday as the previous one was just dangling on wires outside our front door. it didn't solve the problem of it's very quietness however, nor did it alter the fact that our new plastic door doesn't have a knocker.
this problem has been weighing on my mind for a few weeks, and inspiration came to me during the sermon on sunday. i was thinking about what things we have in the house that are activated by pressing a single button, and which are so loud and in-you-face that they would be heard all over the house.
when we got home kezia and i decided to hot-wire up my incredibly loud indian singer dancing thing. it really is loud. but it was fun 'hacking' his inards to make him work.
now all i need is to build the shelf for him to sit on by the door ...
kezia meets the mayor
i took kezia to a concert yesterday to mark the end of the year. the mayor was there to give out the certificates (although he outsourced that to his wife)
of course the parent paparazzi were out in force as usual
and the mayor himself was very jolly
and the man of mystery was ...
this week's "guess what" mystery was of course superman
which was ideal for taking pictures of superheroes punching big ben
and here's a peek behind the magic of the lens viewers, just so you can see how the magic of funkypancake is created.
hassock of the week
dive dive dive
asleep or working ?
these chaps looked like they were asleep at the starting block of the henley regatta.
but it was all a sham as they were actually the boat park
as can be seen here
eventually this chap lowered his flag and off they went
also on the boat were some other people doing jobs in a mobile office type way
computer 2000
these people are still in denial about the millennium bug. i suspect they think it's a cover-up and the world is actually falling apart computery speaking.
henley regatta
i went to henley regatta yesterday as i had the day off work. i was only there for a couple of hours as i had to collect kezia from school, but i had a great time wandering about people watching.
there was lots of people following signs to the letter, like these people refusing to put up their gazebos.
here are a couple of boaters. i went to a couple of charity shops in henley to buy a boater for camouflage but the one they had was slightly too small. probably for the best.
there were some great signs put up for the event.
this shot is looking directly up towards the finishing line (with the boats coming towards us).
look at the size of the arrow on this sign ! i've got loads more people shots which i'll publish sometime soonly.
i didn't go in to any of the enclosures so ended up spending hardly any money (other than my train ticket i bought a cheese burger and a beer. and i bought two plastic measuring jugs from Woolworths in the town on the way back to the station for 39 pence each because they were such a bargain).
there was a fair bit of racing going on (not that many people noticed). i was intrigued by this lady who raised these signs as quick as she could when the boats whizzed by. she also shouted something. not sure if it's semaphor ?
here are some boatists. the lot at the bottom are quite amusing
picking our own
kezia and i went off to pick our own strawberries yesterday as part of her summer school project.
i just loved all these signs with foods that grow around, under, on or near dirt.
i've never seen a currant tree, so that would be a good destination sometime. actually, i think it might be where they keep the currant families like red, black and yellow/green striped.
and what's a calabrese ? i thought that was carpet cleaner
still we got a good fist full. kezia ate a large proportion of them in the car on the way home.
i've no idea if it's cheaper or more expensive to buy via pick your own. on one hand you are saving them the labour, but on the other it's an hour's fun so you might have to pay for the privilege.
this price chart was quite interesting though. quite a few random letters and words left over.
found photo
i've not updated my davescollections website for a long time because the software behind it is so broken that if i attempted to update it it'd probably all fall apart !
i spotted this work pass on a wall. it was face down, although it did have a nice smiley face drawn on the back. i ended up taking it to the local tube station which turned out to be unmanned. so i pushed it down the money return space in the ticket booth, giving it a good flick so it landed on the counter. unfortunately i nearly got my hand trapped due to my watch getting caught under the underhang.
i'm free now. which is more than miss whoever, who is probably still locked outside her office.
guess the thing pt 2
the exile guessed the gusset, can anyone guess the location (correct answers please shorely & rascle !)
and just to help you out, here's a 'making of' shot of yesterday's picture
aussie bum urinal
in a nice coincidence type of way i took a photo of this urinal without realising the significance of the advert in the background
coffee emergencies catered for
this is a great sign on a shop just round the corner from Tony Blair's house in london. i wonder if he has coffee emergencies these days ?
if he does he can be sure that "they'll serve him". in quotes.
those quotes probably mean they can give you a price before you place an order. probably.
fifty nine and a half
inflation hits us all. this building was number 57 just a few weeks ago, and now look at it.
guess the thing
can you guess what this is and where you'd find it ? another clue tomorrow (or a confirmation of the answer if someone guesses it before then)
more than a feeling
ever get the feeling you're being stalked ? the feeling are on my telly, on my footpath, in my paper and on the blog.
The Feeling on GMTV
i like to get to meetings early so i have time to read through any papers, eat a cake and perhaps take some photos on the way. yesterday i got up early and arrived two hours early for a meeting. along the way i saw The Feeling.
more pictures on my flickr stream
the presenters loved it
celebrity mobile phone number scandal
this piece of paper was lying by the GMTV studios 4 hours later when i walked back past them after my meeting. i took a photo of it as i thought it might show The Feeling and it would go nicely with the photos of the band.
i took the photo then went on my way. i nearly took it with me as a momento, but it was covered in coffee, and i'm no longer a 16 year old celebrity item hoarder (mostly).
imagine my surprise when i looked at the photo i took of the picture above to discovered it displayed the mobile phone number for Dr Hilary Jones, Annabel Croft and various others ! i deliberately cropped the photo so you can't see them.
what outrageousness ! i should tell someone. if only i had the phone number of someone who would be interested ...
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[funkypancake] has a lust and zeal for life and all its quirks that those with far fewer worries in the world could be quite jealous of. From the mundane to the mad, the interesting to the absurd, [he] captures moments and objects that few of us ever notice ... and perhaps don't need to.
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